The Man Who Thinks He Can

The Man Who Thinks He Can

~ Walter D. Wintle

If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you don’t;
If you’d like to win, but think you can’t,
It’s almost a cinch you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost,
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow’s will,
It’s all in the state of mind.

If you think you’re outcasted, you are;
You’ve got to think high to rise.
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man;
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.

        Where there is a will, there is a way.  When you have faith in yourself, you will succeed in reaching your goals.  It may not happen overnight and there may be a hundred no’s along the way.  But when you believe that no mountain is insurmountable, you will succeed in making your dreams a reality no matter what curveballs life may throw your way.

Don’t Quit

Don’T Quit

~ Edgar Albert Guest

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
when the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
when the funds are low and the debts are high,
and you want to smile but you have to sigh,
when care is pressing you down a bit –
rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns.
As everyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a fellow turns about
when he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow –
you may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than it seems to a faint and faltering man;

Often the struggler has given up
when he might have captured the victor’s cup;
and he learned too late when the night came down,
how close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out –
the silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
and when you never can tell how close you are,
it may be near when it seems afar;
so stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit –
it’s when things seem worst, you must not quit.

       When you feel like you are drowning and you have nothing left to give, you must hold on for just a little longer.  Because the moment you throw in the towel is often the moment the tide will change directions, so you must find the strength to keep treading water even as the current threatens to overtake you.  No matter how bad you want to quit. . .Never Give Up.  Have faith that better days are coming.

It Couldn’t Be Done

It Couldn’T Be Done

Edgar Albert Guest

Somebody said that it couldn’t be done
But he with a chuckle replied
That ‘maybe it couldn’t,’ but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it!

Somebody scoffed: ‘Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it;’
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure,
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
That ‘cannot be done,’ and you’ll do it.

           There will always be people around whispering in your ear that you can’t do it, that you will fail.  But, you shouldn’t listen to these negative voices.  First of all, who has the right to tell you that you won’t succeed or that you aren’t good enough?  The answer is no one.   Second of all, you won’t know whether or not you can succeed at something UNLESS you first try.  And then if you fail, so what, sometimes things just don’t work out and the most important thing is that you tried.  You’ll never regret all the chances you took, but only the opportunities you let pass you by without ever even taking a swing.  So get up, grab your bat and when a ball comes your way. . .take a swing!

Just One

Just One

~ Author Unknown

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.

One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal

One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.

One step must start each journey.
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.

One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what’s true,

One life can make a difference,
You see, it’s up to you!

            Your life is truly a blank canvas.  What you choose to create is up to you.  You can choose to create a replica that blends in with the crowd.  Or, you can choose to create a unique masterpiece that stands on its own.  Never forget that one person, one life . . . one choice can change this world for the better.

 

Life Steps

Life Steps

~ Catherine Pulsifer

Our entire life is made up of choices,
What we decide,
the action we take,
the attitude we display
All represent the steps of life.

Sometimes we take two steps forward
And one-step back.
Some of us take baby steps
Some of us take giant steps

But the secret is not to let that
one step back turn into a failure.
Learn from backward steps

And keep on stepping forward in this dance
Called Life!

           In life, you will inevitably take a step backwards.  The key is not to let life’s setbacks completely derail you from being able to move forward again.  Instead, use every setback as a learning and growing opportunity.  And most importantly, always remember that life isn’t about the number of times you fall; rather, it is about the number of times you find the strength to stand back up.

Stay True to Yourself

If

~ Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

             It is a rare gift to truly know oneself.  It is an even rarer gift to not let this world and the people in it change you.  I have come to realize that before you can find true happiness, you must first accept, embrace and love yourself.  When you do this, you will find it easier to remain true to yourself as you navigate the waterways of life.  When you know who you are, you develop this unwavering inner strength that aids you in standing firm in your beliefs when the world seeks to strip away your very soul.  So, when the world, society, coworkers, family and friends try to change you, remember to always remain true to who you are and never compromise your moral compass.

He Gathers Every Teardrop

He Gathers Every Teardrop

~ Author Unknown

Regardless of the circumstance,
Regardless of the fear,
Regardless of the pain we bear,
Regardless of the tear.

Our God is ever in control,
Performing as He should,
And He has promised in His Word
To work things for our good.

But as a loving Father would,
He sometimes lets us cry
To cleanse the hurt out of our heart,
To wash it from our eye.

Yet gently gathers the tears
Within His hands to stay
Until He turns them into pearls,
and gives them back someday.

          God didn’t promise us a life free of pain and suffering.  Instead, he promised that he would never forsake us.   So, this means there will be times in life where we suffer unimaginable sorrow and devastation.  But, it is during these moments when you are facing your darkest hour that you must have faith that God has a plan for you.  Your pain has a purpose – your soul is being laid bare to prepare it for new love and joy that is coming your way.  God is always in control.  So, when your life begins spinning out of control, grab hold of God, our anchor, and have faith that better days are coming.

Don’t Look Back

Don’t Look Back

~ Author Unknown

As you travel through life there are always those times
When decisions just have to be made,
When the choices are hard, and solutions seem scarce,
And the rain seems to soak your parade.

There are some situations where all you can do
Is simply let go and move on,
Gather your courage and choose a direction
That carries you toward a new dawn.

Perhaps you’ll find comfort in knowing your friends
Are supportive of all that you do,
And believe that whatever decisions you make,
They’ll be the right choices for you.

So keep putting one foot in front of the other,
And taking your life day by day…
There’s a brighter tomorrow that’s just down the road –
Don’t look back! You’re not going that way!

             You can’t spend your life constantly second guessing decisions you made 5 minutes ago, 5 days ago or 5 years ago.  What’s done is done.  You can’t change what happened yesterday, but you can change what happens tomorrow because those pages of your story have yet to be written.  So, instead of continually looking over your shoulder at the path you have already traveled, you must choose to look ahead toward the path that has yet to be broken.

This Too Shall Pass

This Too Shall Pass

~ Helen Steiner Rice

If I can endure for this minute
Whatever is happening to me,
No matter how heavy my heart is
Or how dark the moment may be-

If I can remain calm and quiet
With all the world crashing about me,
Secure in the knowledge God loves me
When everyone else seems to doubt me-

If I can but keep on believing
What I know in my heart to be true,
That darkness will fade with the morning
And that this will pass away, too-

Then nothing in life can defeat me
For as long as this knowledge remains
I can suffer whatever is happening
For I know God will break all of the chains

That are binding me tight in the darkness
And trying to fill me with fear-
For there is no night without dawning
And I know that my morning is near.

         When you are going through hell, it is so hard to imagine better days ahead.  You feel broken and alone.  It is in these moments that you need to focus on surviving the next minute, hour, day, week, and so on.  As time progresses, you will begin to realize that the storm clouds will recede and even though you may be a little worse for wear, you will survive the storm.  So, it is when you are at your lowest that you must have faith that no matter how long the night, the dawn will break.

Slow Down

Slow Down

~ David L. Weatherford

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round,
or listened to rain slapping the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight,
or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down,
don’t dance so fast,
time is short, the music won’t last.

Do you run through each day on the fly,
when you ask “How are you?”
do you hear the reply?
When the day is done,
do you lie in your bed,
with the next hundred chores running through your head?

You better slow down,
don’t dance so fast
time is short, the music won’t last.

Ever told your child,
we’ll do it tomorrow,
and in your haste, not seen his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
let a good friendship die,
’cause you never had time to call and say “hi”.

You better slow down,
don’t dance so fast
time is short, the music won’t last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere,
you miss half the fun of getting there,
When you worry and hurry though your day,
it is like an unopened gift thrown away.
Life is not a race,
so take it slower,
hear the music before the song is over.

         Although it is important to have long-term goals to work toward, you have to remember to take time to slow down and enjoy the ride.   You will never get these moments back.  And, you can’t live your life simply waiting to get to the finish line, while ignoring everything you pass along the way.  Because one day, you will realize that the journey often eclipses the destination itself.

                So, don’t let life pass you by without slowing down to take in the sights around each bend.